LeyLeyTHE POET

Words that refuse to stay silent

KAKUMA · SOUTH SUDAN · THE WORLD

SPOKEN WORD · LIVING ARCHIVE

Words that
refuse to
stay silent.

LeyLey is a South Sudanese poet who, as a child, was forced by war to flee his homeland for Kakuma refugee camp, where he found his voice through poetry—turning memory, hunger, identity and hope into words that give voice to realities too often unheard.

Explore the poems→▶ Meet LeyLey
VOICE
OF THE
VOICELESS
LeyLey the Poet
“

I am not a label.
I am a soul still breathing.

— LEYLEY PATHJAL
42.9K+listening
on Instagram

01 · THE LIVING ARCHIVE

Poems to carry
with you.

Written from lived experience.
Spoken so nobody disappears into a statistic.

01Spoken word · 02:14

One name — LeyLey.

One voice rising from dust,

from a place they call a camp,

but I call a memory that refuses to sleep.

Counting Kakuma

02Poem · 01:48

Not a number in a report.

Not a word printed on a card.

A soul still breathing —

a voice learning how far it can travel.

THEMEIdentity
↗

More Than a Label

03Spoken word · 02:36

A reflection on the ache

of studying toward a future

that keeps moving — and the youth

who keep reaching anyway.

Degrees & Empty Plates

New writing, recordings and performances are added to this living archive. Explore the full archive →

LeyLey seated in a woven chair
LeyLey performing
STILL
BREATHING
STILL
BUILDING

02 · THE STORY BEHIND THE VOICE

From the dust,
a voice rose.

LeyLey Pathjal is a South Sudanese spoken-word artist and storyteller whose work is shaped by life in Kakuma refugee camp.

His poems confront hunger, waiting, unemployment and the weight of being reduced to the word “refugee.” Yet his work does not stop at pain. It insists on dignity, possibility and the stubborn fact of hope.

“A place they call a camp, but I call a memory that refuses to sleep.”
Follow the journey on Instagram ↗

I WRITE BECAUSE

silence should never
have the last word.

04 · KEEP THE POETRY MOVING

Fund the next
line.

Support LeyLey in keeping the words moving. Your contribution helps him write, record and share his poetry, carrying his voice from Kakuma to audiences around the world.

ℒ

Become part of
the next chapter.

  • ✦ New poems and recordings
  • ✦ Performance and travel costs
  • ✦ Creative tools and connectivity
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05 · SAY HELLO

Have a stage,
story or idea?

For performances, collaborations, press or a simple note of encouragement.

♥ Support LeyLey